We are a group of partners, from council run agencies to businesses, education and third sector groups, that believe in building a culture of welcome and support to refugees and people seeking asylum in the Cumberland area.
In March 2024 a group of organisations from across Cumberland met online to learn more about the City of Sanctuary movement, hear about the plans for Cumberland Council to become a local authority of Sanctuary and to decide on the way forward for delivering City of Sanctuary activities in the area.
In September 2024 the motion to proceed as a Council of Sanctuary was voted through by members of Cumberland Council and in 2025 the council started to develop its strategy with support from member of this network and City of Sanctuary UK.
Cumberland Sanctuary Network operates under the charity Carlisle One World Centre. Key members of the network are the main voluntary sector groups that support refugees and people seeking asylum – Carlisle Refugee Action Group (CRAG), Penrith and Eden Refugee Network (PERN), West Cumbria Refugee Support Network (WCRSN) and Multicultural Cumbria (MCC), Pride in North Cumbria (PiNC), Time to Change (TTC) and the Afrikana Centre. Other members include the council, libraries, health and educational institutions, including the University of Cumbria.
Football teams, churches and museums also play a role and all of the above are supported in turn to be awarded Sanctuary recognition in their own right through the City of Sanctuary UK’s many streams and awards.
